Today the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the draft law No. 6470, which provides for the return of Ukraine's course to join the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO). This legislative act is important because it declares Ukraine's intentions towards NATO, which have already changed, experts say.. However, the key aspect remains the same: there are no prospects for membership in the alliance for Ukraine yet. The Verkhovna Rada legislated the course for membership in NATO - bill Draft Law No. 6470 "On Amending Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine (Regarding Ukraine's Foreign Policy)" was supported by 276 people's deputies. This document provides for amending the laws of Ukraine "On the Basics of Domestic and Foreign Policy" and "On the Fundamentals of National Security of Ukraine" for the restoration of Ukraine's course for membership in NATO as a strategic foreign policy priority of the country. In the explanatory note to the draft law, the authors argue its necessity by the fact that, as the experience of a number of neighboring countries shows, collective security structures are regarded as the most effective in matters of ensuring security, preserving territorial integrity and sovereignty. NATO is the most effective of such organizations. According to the author of the draft law, the realization of the prospect of membership in the alliance mainly depends on Ukraine and is associated with a number of formal steps. The legislative consolidation of the course for membership in NATO is one of them. "Ukraine has sufficient political and legal preconditions for full institutional rapprochement with the North Atlantic alliance, among which is the well-known decision of the 2008 Bucharest summit on unequivocal recognition of Ukraine's future membership in this organization, whose necessity is an undeniable imperative of the time," the note notes.. The authors of the project note that more than half of Ukrainians share this position. Indeed, according to a survey conducted by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology, if the referendum on Ukraine's accession to NATO took place in February 2017, and all those who made the choice participated in the vote, 57% of them voted "for" and 43% - "against". The adopted bill declares the intentions of Ukraine - experts Membership in NATO was a priority for Ukraine, but this has not yet been enshrined in legislation. Today's decision of the parliament has corrected this aspect, the expert of the Institute of Social and Economic Research Nikolay Kapitonenko told "Today". The priority of the adopted document is the internal political context, said Director of the Institute for Socio-Political Design "Dialogue" Andrei Miselyuk. After the former president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych refused from Ukraine's course to join NATO in favor of non-aligned status, the current government is taking consistent steps, confirming Ukraine's course towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration, he notes.. This bill is needed in order, firstly, to clearly fix the course, and secondly, to speed up the work on reforming the country in accordance with the necessary criteria for the issue of membership to be considered, said Miseluk. Thus, new requirements and standards will be introduced into the work of a number of spheres, Kapitonenko notes.. "For example, even reforming the defense sector or fighting corruption, or building effective state institutions - all this will theoretically now be subordinated to the standards and requirements of joining NATO. That is, the criteria will be more clear and all state policy - not only external but also internal - will work to achieve this goal, "he said.. Prospects for Ukraine's membership in NATO are not yet available In April 2017, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, during a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, Ivana Klimpush-Tsintsadze, during her visit to NATO Headquarters in Brussels, confirmed that Ukraine continues to be on the agenda of the Alliance. "Ukraine is on the way to strengthening the defense capability of the state, bringing the army in line with NATO standards, but we all understand that, in addition to technical and administrative standards, there is also the" main "standard of NATO, which must be introduced by Ukrainians, , - noted then Klimpush-Tsintsadze However, as the experts note, in the near future there is no prospect for NATO membership in Ukraine. "In the short term, both NATO officials and Ukrainian individual politicians admit this, there can not be any talk about Ukraine's joining NATO," says Andrei Mislyuk. "If we are talking about any concrete decisions on the part of the alliance, they will not be. They have repeatedly stated that it is necessary for Ukraine to carry out reforms in order to meet the criteria, to be drawn to NATO standards. Because it is in the interests of Ukraine itself to carry out these reforms, "he said.. As Nikolai Kapitonenko points out, when making decisions in the alliance, the principle of consensus is used. And in relation to Ukraine, the positions of the member countries diverge. Moreover, the question of what Ukraine can be useful to NATO and whether member countries are ready to defend it remains open too, the expert says.. In the short term, the issue of membership is unlikely to rise. But today's decision, we outlined our determination to achieve this. "As for Ukraine, there is no equal position - they can greatly disagree within NATO. That is why the question of membership is unlikely to rise in the short term. But by today's decision, we have determined our determination to achieve this. One of the key problems that was in Ukraine - and NATO has always noted this - is the inconsistency of our foreign policy. We then wanted to join NATO, we did not want it, we did not want to do it, we again want. Therefore, it was difficult to work with us. Perhaps today's solution will help that this problem will be removed, "he said.. At the same time, as the expert notes, the implementation of reforms in Ukraine, including bringing the security sector to the standards of NATO, is a necessary condition, but it is not enough. Ukraine needs all the member countries to be on its side, he said.. There are countries that are now ready to take us there, there are countries that are ready to do this under some conditions, and there are countries that would not support this decision under any circumstances. It's a matter of time - you need to find arguments. The positions of some countries can not be changed quickly. It is necessary that something has changed in the overall situation in the world or in the region. This is a very long and complex process. "This is very difficult, we need to work individually with each state. There are countries that are now ready to take us there, there are countries that are ready to do this under some conditions, and there are countries that would not support this decision under any circumstances. It's a matter of time - you need to find arguments. The positions of some countries can not be changed quickly. It is necessary that something has changed in the overall situation in the world or in the region. This is a very long and complex process, "Kapitonenko said.. So, according to the expert, Ukraine needs to focus on the states that are in similar conditions, for example, to Georgia. It is ahead of Ukraine in this matter, therefore, when the question of Georgia's accession to NATO really comes up, it will be possible to make some assumptions about Ukraine, he said.. In addition, the situation in the world is also affecting the prospect of membership, he notes.. So, a very serious factor against is that Russia is categorically against Ukraine's entry into NATO. The main thing that NATO will hold is the probability of a full-scale conflict with Russia. This probability will remain high in any case - even if we resolve the conflict in the Donbass. Would other members of the Alliance want to take us there, have a threat, a permanent risk in the face of Russia? "The main thing that NATO will keep is the possibility of a full-scale conflict with Russia. This probability will remain high in any case - even if we resolve the conflict in the Donbass. Would other members of the Alliance want to take us there, have a threat, a permanent risk in the face of Russia? Will they want to share these risks with us? I think, many will not want. And this will be the main problem, "said Kapitonenko. With this opinion, the political scientist Andrei Miseluk agrees. According to him, Russia has all the necessary levers to stop Ukraine on the way to the alliance in the near and medium term. "Russia is categorically not ready to consider in practical terms the question of Ukraine's accession to NATO. The maximum on what it is ready to go is the so-called "Finnish" version, when the country does not join NATO and adheres to the policy of neutrality. Russia rather consistently stands on this line, "Miseluk believes.. In 1994, for example, Finland joined NATO's Partnership for Peace program, which is limited to peacemaking, search, rescue and humanitarian operations, environmental protection measures. Recall, in early June, the 29th member of NATO officially became Montenegro. On June 7, the national flag of Montenegro was raised at the headquarters of the Alliance in Brussels. As the Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Jens Stoltenberg, the fact that Montenegro became the 29th member of NATO, demonstrates that "NATO's doors are open, and it also shows that countries that are implementing reforms are modernizing the structure of defense and security, strengthen democratic institutions , As Montenegro did, can also join the alliance ". First Vice Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Irina Gerashchenko, commenting on joining the alliance of Montenegro, said that Ukraine and Georgia should become the 30th and 31st NATO members.

Original article: The course of Ukraine on NATO membership: what will the adopted bill give and what are the prospects for membership.